Surveillance footage of Kentucky Sheriff killing judge shown in court

Surveillance footage of Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines shooting and killing District Judge Kevin Mullins in his own chambers was played in a Kentucky court yesterday, shocking onlookers. Judge Rupert Wilhoit found probable cause to refer Stines' first-degree murder charge to a grand jury. Stines' defence lawyer didn't argue with the tape, but said his client was experiencing an "extreme emotional disturbance." Stines has already pleaded not guilty.

It was an execution, with the sheriff returning to Mullins repeatedly to attempt coups de grace after an initial double tap. The video cuts out as he takes aim for what would be a fourth or fifth shot.

As the video played, Stines turned his head away from the screen and then lowered his eyes. Several people in the gallery on the prosecution side of the courtroom could be heard sobbing and moaning.

The video only played in court for 20 seconds, but the Kentucky State Police said the full recording of their interaction, which wasn't shown, was much longer.

Stines and Mullins had eaten lunch with a group at a restaurant prior to the shooting, and no witnesses observed any anger in their conversation, according to Kentucky State Police Det. Clayton Stamper, the only witness who testified at the hearing.

Still no disclosed motive. But here it is:

The full video shows Stines stood up and began shooting only seconds after looking at the judge's phone, the detective testified. "I was told that Sheriff Stines had tried to call his daughter, and he had tried to call his daughter from the judge's phone also," said Stamper, who confirmed that phone records showed that the cell phone of Stines' daughter had previously been called from the judge's phone. Stines was seen in a section of the surveillance video not played in court calling his daughter on his own phone, and then asking to see Mullins' phone, and the judge complied.

And there was a civil lawsuit against the sheriff and a former deputy, Benjamin Charles Fields, who used the same judge's chambers to extort sex from a woman on the promise to avoid jail time. Fields was convicted in January of Jan. 17 of rape, sodomy and tampering with an ankle monitor.

Though Stines cannot be easily removed from office despite his imprisonment, he has announced plans to retire.